Forward Sam O’Reilly (TBL) of the Memorial Cup-winning Kitchener Rangers was named the tournament’s MVP (Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy) after registering 8 points (3G 5A) for the CHL champions. This follows up his being named the OHL Playoffs MVP upon enjoying a 28-point effort (17G 11A) in the Mem Cup pre-cursor. By winning both MVP awards, he becomes part of an elite group of players who have done so just four times. The other three players to accomplish this feat are Brad Richards (QMJHL Rimouski in 2000), Corey Perry (OHL London in 2005), and Mitch Marner (OHL London in 2016). Additionally, these awards complete O’Reilly’s “Triple Crown” victory, as he also won the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player for 2025-26.
In addition to O’Reilly, many other prospects also enjoyed success at last week’s annual event. At the forefront of my mind is fellow Rangers’ forward Jack Pridham (TBL). Pridham has been in the news quite a bit lately due to the acquisition of his rights by Tampa from Chicago just prior to their expiration. To follow up a 90-point OHL season (2nd in league scoring), Pridham teamed up with O’Reilly on numerous occasions to register 9 points (5G 4A) in the tournament. He and O’Reilly will team up again at the University of Denver next year, as they are both committed to play for the Pioneers.